This is not my typical book, and I was given this as book mail from the publisher.

Dez Limerick traveling to the Pacific Northwest to offer his services and protection to a pair of sisters in need. Laced with humor, action, violence, and a little corporate espionage, if you enjoy a good spy novel you can’t go wrong. Dez is essentially The Equalizer meets Jason Bourne meets Sterling Archer. A fantastic and fast read.

I was excited to connect with Dez again in this sequel. I find his character quite gritty and I love it. Every now and then, Deadlock struggled to hold my attention, but all in all this was solid.

This is the second book in the Dez Limerick series, and having read and loved the first one, I was really happy to jump into this new adventure with Dez. And this one did not disappoint. Dez is an interesting guy - a jack of all trades, and master of many - especially the important ones like, oh, saving the world. In his past professional life he was what's known as a "gatekeeper" - excelling at opening doors (both physical and virtual doors) and keeping them open long enough to complete the job at hand. In his "retirement" he enjoys traveling and improving his amateur musical skills, but somehow still finds ways to use those professional skills from his past life. He's the kind of action hero I like - he has a distinct moral compass, he's fiercely loyal, he has a quirky sense of humor. His adversaries here are part of a company that's supposedly all on the side of good - but underneath the shiny altruistic surface, they're a completely different beast. The powers that be in the company make a gross tactical error when they threaten one of Dez's friends and her sister, and that fiercely loyal side of him kicks in. Fun read - actually fun listen, I listened to the audio version and as with The Gatekeeper, the narration by John Keating was excellent. Can't wait to see what lies in store for Dez in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

DEADLOCK by James BYRNE
Publication: 8/87/2023 by St Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books
And Macmillan Audio
Narrated by: JOHN KEATING


Better than James Bond! A complex multilayered high octane thriller with non-stop action, intrigue, and menace. Our intrepid hero is Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“my friends call me Dez”) , who looks nothing like an action hero. Dez is five-eight but built like a tank, with a barrel chest, thick arms, short bowed legs, and oversized hands riddled with scarred knuckles. His scars, burns, and bullet wounds paint a road map of the world’s hot spots.
His past and training is shrouded in mystery, but he obviously was a seasoned veteran of black ops and clandestine ventures. On the inside of his right forearm is a tattoo of Janus, the two-faced Roman god of doors, gates, and transitions …. the patron for duality - life/ death , war / peace, beginning / ending…. holding the metaphorical key to doors or gateways between what was and what is to come.
Dez was an expert at opening doors that others couldn’t and keeping them open as long as necessary. A small part of his skill set involved hacking into security and information systems, as well as physically picking locks. His crew gave him the nom de plume of “The Gatekeeper” His mongrel accent is reflective of his upbringing in Liverpool, Ireland, and Scotland. Much like Nelson DeMille’s John Corey character, Dez cannot help but pepper his conversation with quips and wisecracks .. somewhat shrouding his true guile and mental acuity. He can quote writers and philosophers, yet is an expert at throwing and taking punches.
Dez was attempting a retirement and finds himself in Los Angeles, when he receives a frantic phone call from a long time musician friend,Raziah, fearful for her sister, Laleh, a journalist who was brutally attacked and lies in the hospital severely injured. This may have been related to a story she was working on. She recently reported on the death of an auditor for a highly influential tech firm. When he comes to the hospital, he is immediately called into action as he confronts several thugs intent on completing Laleh’s demise. This high tech company is known as Clockjack, and has reached the level of recognition of a Google or Microsoft,,,, and their reach extends into the U.S. government … making them virtually untouchable. Two of the founders have died under suspicious circumstances. They have been replaced by two other men who have taken over control of the company. They are employing former convicts and mercenaries for a covert operation, under the guise of normal corporation workings. As Dez becomes involved the body count and turmoil exponentially increases.
This sequel can be devoured as a standalone, as Byrne expertly weaves into the narrative the necessary backstory. James Byrne proves to be a marvelous storyteller as he weave a complex ant twisted tale of intrigue, menace, and mounting tension that escalates into a taut and unpredictable roller coaster denouement. With his impeccable character building, the multilayered actors seem to jump off the page. I personally alternated between the kindle and the audiobook version narrated by John Keating, The wonderful narration brings to life the full charm and wit of Dez, along with his empathy and sense of justice. This intriguing tale will appeal to aficionados of Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” and Gregg Hurwitz’ “Orphan X” series, as well as Nelson DeMille’s “John Corey/“

#

Dez Limerick is truly a fascinating individual. With his multitude of talents, including his past as a mercenary, it's no wonder that he has a reputation for being both handsome and a great friend. He also possesses a quick wit that can leave you doubled over with laughter or moved to tears in the middle of a sentence.

Despite retiring and completing his last task, Dez's life takes an unexpected turn when he receives a call from his friend Raziah, who urgently needs his help with her injured sister Lelah. Little did Dez know that this simple act of kindness would put both Raziah and Lelah in danger, as they were being followed and watched. The hospital scenes that follow are truly shocking, and leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

Although the plot may seem unrealistic, it's easy to get lost in this story and become invested in the characters. As the authorities get involved, the action intensifies, and we see just how many connections Dez has - he truly is a nice guy who people are willing to help.

As the story progresses, a large corporation becomes involved, and it quickly becomes clear that people are dying. The suspense builds, leaving you wondering who will be next, and whether Dez can stop this dangerous domino effect. Overall, this book boasts a fantastic plot, strong and well-developed characters, and is an all-around wonderful read that I highly recommend. With Dez as the main character, it's no wonder that readers are drawn in - he truly is an interesting individual with so much to offer. I really really like Dez.

The audiobook is a great way to read/listen to this book. I really enjoyed it

Book #2 in Dez Limerick series was a non-stop thriller. Just when you think Dez has the bad guys sorted, they come at him from another angle! I love how tenacious Dez is when he is protecting friends, he is like the Energizer Bunny and won't stop. Looking forward to reading "listening" to the next book in the series.

John Keating did a great job narrating this novel, I absolutely love listening to his accent and I hope he continues narrating the rest of the series.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Passwords are just locks. I'm good with locks."

"That's just sad really. Nobody teaches the classic skills anymore; cursive writing, how to mix the perfect Rob Roy, picking a basic padlock." Dez mourns for the world.

Desmond "Dez" Aloysius Limerick was hilariously lethal in The Gatekeeper but in his second non stop high octane action thriller, Dead-Lock by movie ready thriller author James Byrne, he's just a devastatingly murderous charmer.

We have a dastardly villain. An international tech corporation, ClockJack, is the perfect corporate citizen but is actually taking over third world countries with assassinations and giving hardened criminals a safe harbor in these strategically hidden in plain sight locations. They might have gotten away with it BUT they messed up when they failed to kill a journalist who stumbled on to something not right with this firm. She just happens to be the sister of one of Dez's band mates. Yes our cheeky hero plays a mean bass guitar.

We can't talk about Dez without the man that brings him from the snarky writing of the author to life on the audiobook. Actor John Keating is Dez! It's not easy becoming a man who can play a bluesy tune, make love to a woman and have her risk everything for him, and then nonchalantly kill a man with a marble, avoid more bullet wounds that map out his life all over his body, and decimate a dam! Yes a dam!

Though the second in the series, it works as a standalone but why not read The Gatekeeper too and get more Dez? I read Dead-Lock. I listened to Dead-Lock. I am locked into my Scottish brogue Dez being the heir to Reacher, Bond, Denzel's Equalizer, and Jason Bourne. I need the TV series now!

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I seem to be in the minority here in not loving this book.. Maybe it is because I did not read the first book in the series. I will say that it was easy to follow the story without having read it and the story itself was good. I was interested in what was happening to the minor characters in the story. I liked them. Here is where I don't fit in. I didn't like the main character. He just came off as overcompensating and his humor never meshed with me. Still, a good story.

In the book Deadlock, author James Byrne continues the story of Dez, a retired mercenary and amateur musician. But when Dez’s band-mate Raziah’s sister ends up in the hospital due to a newspaper story she is working on, Dez vows to help protect the sisters and get the bottom of what is happening. Little does he know that he is stepping into a high-tech world where things are not as they seem on the surface.
This was a great edge of your seat continuations to Dez’s story. The audio-book narration was very well done. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed it and to be honest I was worried I might not be able to follow the story. It written in the old-school ways of mystery, crime suspense.
Dez was the main character and he was something else. Confident, calm and a brilliant spy of sorts. He was a likable character and the action parts kept me glued. A lot happens in this story and it had a clever ending. The writing was good and I’m looking forward to book 3.
The audiobook was narrated by John Keating and he was perfect for it.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

Dez is hands down one of my favorite characters ever. Strong, fiercely protective of his people , and funny as hell.

I cannot say enough good things about this series. It’s got so many twists and turns I’m never sure which way is up until the author wants me to! And I can’t emphasize enough how witty this character is. Love it. Can’t wait for the next book!

I LOVE this narrator!!

I loved this book! And I loved the main character!!
Dez Limerick is part mercenary, part hunk, and part lover/friend!
He is quick witted and will have you laugh/crying in the middle of a sentence! (For instance, he is asked: are you a sharp shooter? His answer: if I were standing at the bottom of a lake I’d have a hard time hitting water!) I spit out whatever was in my mouth at the time! 😬🤣
In any case, he has retired to LA when he receives a call from a friend, Raziah. She says that her sister, Lelah, was hurt and asks if he can come and help. Being the kind friend that he is, he rushes over to help out…only to find that she and her sister are being watched, followed, and most likely targeted. The hospital scenes that follow will leave you with your mouth hanging open!
Far fetched? Yes! Did I love every second? Yes!
When the authorities get involved, it seems to kick the action up a notch…if that’s even possible…
And we learn that Dez has many connections and people willing to help, because after all, he IS a nice guy!
A large corporation becomes involved in the scenario too…and people start dying left and right…
Who will be next, and can Dez stop this domino effect?
Terrific theory. Great characters. Wonderful book!
And Dez is really QUITE the CHARACTER!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook which releases tomorrow, August 8th!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!
Deadlock by James Byrne.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Deadlock (Dez Limerick #2)
By: James Bryce
Pub date: today! 8-8-23
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Desmond Aloysius Limerick aka Dez has retired and has been bumming around, playing his guitar, enjoying his time in LA. Until a friend calls from Oregan needing help Raziah’s little sister Laleh has been attacked on the street.
Laleh is a reporter she has been writing about Connor O’Meara. Connor had been doing an audit on a phone maker and something didn't seem right. But now Dez is on the case.

Dez definitely fits in with the Jack Reacher-Jason Bourne high action but still humorous crowd. He’s resourceful and it feels like everyone is living in Dez’s world. Can’t wait for the next one!

Last year's best new character, Dez Limerick, is back in Deadlock. Dez is relaxing in L.A. when he gets a call from Raziah Swann, a beautiful young singer Dez befriended and occasionally plays bass guitar for. Raziah is in Portland where her sister Laleh is in the hospital after being attacked. Raziah fears her sister's life is still in danger so she turns to the most capable man she knows. Because Dez isn't just good with guitars. He's also good with locks. Any kind of locks. And he's good with his fists, which happen to be the size of sledgehammers.
When Dez arrives at the hospital in Portland, he discovers some thugs there looking to finish the job they started with Laleh. Dez dispatches them with his unique skills and is surprised to find that he's drawn the attention of both the U.S. Marshalls and the DEA. Dez discovers that he's also drawn the attention of one of Oregon's biggest tech companies, Clockjack. A company that can afford to hire some very bad people to protect its secrets. Dez is mostly a let bygones be bygones sort of man, but not when his mates are in danger. If Clockjack is a threat to them, then Dez is a threat to Clockjack.

Deadlock is as much mystery as it is thriller. Dez knows who the threat is, but if he's going to neutralize it, he must discover why. And the mystery here runs deep. From Portland to high up in the federal government and even internationally. Clockjack is as high-tech as they come and its campus is heavily guarded, both physically and electronically. There are only a handful of people in the world capable of breaking in. Bad luck for them that Dez is one of them.

Everything that was great about James Byrne's first Dez Limerick book is even better here. The mystery is more intricate, the humor is even sharper, and the adversary is both smarter and more dangerous. Dez is one cool cucumber. His hacking skills, his planning skills, and his fighting skills are all put to the test. This book will have you glued to it from start to finish. There is excitement and intrigue all along the way and a conclusion that does not disappoint.

John Keating narrates the audiobook and adds another dimension to the enjoyment. His vocalizations, particularly of Dez, perfectly capture the humor, confidence, and heart of the character. His voice will forever be the voice I hear in my head for Dez in what I hope to be many, many books in this series. One of my favorite books of the year.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

James Byrne returns following The Gatekeeper with his second installment in his popular Dez Limerick series with DEADLOCK —another action-packed, witty thriller with an unstoppable main character.

A delicious taut nonstop hilarious, action-packed suspense thriller by James Byrne, with a leading man and hero you want by your side. With a sexy British/Irish accent to die for and all the dark humor, intelligence, and wit making DEZ, Desmond Aloysius Limerick, (the ultimate) THE GATEKEEPER.

A former mercenary, a musician, and a man who can open any door— physical or digital. He is not too tall, stocky, and bowlegged and buys his black tees from the one place that accommodates his broad shoulders and frame.

In DEADLOCK, the Irish ex-mercenary Limerick is off to Oregon from California. Jaleh Swann, a business journalist hot on the trail of an auditor who was mugged and killed, lands in the hospital just one day after her Portland apartment is ransacked.

His friend Raziah Swann, sends out a personal SOS stating her journalist sister, Laleh, has been abducted and beaten by thugs while researching an article on accounting irregularities at Clockjack, a tech conglomerate whose tentacles stretch across entire industries and levels of government.

The Swann sisters have been pulled into a dizzying web of cover-ups and danger. At the center lies an insidious Oregon-based tech corporation, Clockjack, which has enough money and hired guns to silence just about anyone. Luckily, Dez’s specialty is not just to open doors but keep them open―and protect those working to expose Clockjack’s secrets.

Dez learns that Clockjack plans to use its technologies to acquire sensitive intelligence and topple foreign governments—so he infiltrates the company’s headquarters outside Portland, using every tool at his disposal to break up the scheme.

Dez and the Swann sisters are on the run from powers beyond their control and means. Outnumbered, under-resourced and outgunned, Dez must use all his skills to keep his friends safe and stand up to corporate conspiracy.

I love the humor and sarcasm of Dez and enjoyed the mission of helping the sisters while he becomes immersed in a corporate coverup and government conspiracies: murder and mayhem and a fun, zany thriller.

High-adrenaline suspense and twists, packed with action, clever dialogue, and some great laughs! Even though I did not enjoy this one as much as The Gatekeeper, I still found DEADLOCK entertaining and a great setup for #3.

For fans of Greg Hurwitz's Orphan X, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, and Elle Cosimano. I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by John Keating for an entertaining and fascinating thrill ride!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for an ARC and ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInflueners

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Aug 8, 2023
Aug 2023 Must-Read Books

I love me some Dez Limmerick, if only he were a real person that I know! His sense of humor and irreverence is amazing and I am totally here for it. On top of the fact that he's a trained badass that can kick pretty much anyone's ass and is a kind-hearted dude = amazing! I can't wait for the next book in the series to see what he gets up to and who he saves in the process.

I am adding all of James Byrne's books to my TBR now.

I want to provide a couple of caveats to my review. One, I hadn't read book one. I think I might have enjoyed this more had I had the back story. Two, the narrator. He was terrific. But his Dez voice got on my nerves. Not his fault, but it was a constant distraction. I think I'd have liked this more had I read it in print.

So, overall, it was just ok for me. I struggled to finish, much as I wanted to like it. This is exactly the sort of story I usually love, so I do think my 2 issues contributed to me not liking it as much as I should have.

Once again, James Byrne goes all out with his madcap adventurer Desmond Aloysius Limerick in this sequel to The Gatekeeper. Picking up some time after the first book, Dez's retirement to the United States is interrupted when he gets a call from his friend and band mate, Raziah Swann, for help after her journalist sister is attacked days after the murder of a business auditor her sister had been investigating. With no choice but to answer the call, Dez finds himself embroiled in a deep conspiracy involving an Oregon-based tech company Clockjack. Once again, Dez must use his Gatekeeper skills and his raucous wit to save the Swann sisters and take down Clockjack.

Dez continues to be a refreshingly original and entertaining character, a sort of cross between Spider-Man and Jack Reacher with a cockney accent. Most of the reveals are not overly surprising and can be predicted by following the story closely and paying attention to details, but they're also satisfying. We learn more about the Gatekeepers in this book, which lends nicely to a final twist at the end that sets up the next book to come. This is a fun, lighthearted thriller that will certainly keep the reader entertained.

Once again, John Keating is delightful as the narrator, making Dez sound authentic while also doing a fair job on the other characters. My only nitpick is his voicing of Des's new carnal interest sounds too masculine, but I've yet to find a male narrator who can voice an Eastern Bloc woman without making her sound like Boris Badenov.

Thank you to the author, Minotaur, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair review.

I don’t usually go in for action-packed, tough guy books with a Die-Hard blockbuster ending; but this series is different. Most likely because Dez Limerick is a character you want to know more about.

Dez is a fantastic character…so much so that I stopped listening to Deadlock and checked out the first book in the series, Gatekeeper, from my library.

The short chapters that end with hard scene cuts (think Law & Order) keeps the plot moving at an exciting pace. The humor, situations, and Dez makes this perfect for an audiobook format, or even better yet, a movie!

In my opinion, the audiobook is a must...but that’s just me. I’m sure the print book is just as amazing. The narrator does such an excellent job that it is like watching a movie. He really brings this book to life!

I didn't know what to expect when I started listening/reading this book. At first I didn't like it and I put it down at 20%. I picked it back up a few days later and finished it pretty quick.

It took me a while to like Dez and his unique way of talking. Like the sisters in the book, I didn't understand what he was saying some of the time. I would totally want to be his friend if I was ever in trouble! While the storyline was interesting, and different from what I'm used to, I just wasn't hooked. I think the author and the narrator did a great job. It just wasn't the book for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the copies of the book.